


Crush Course--Europe Trip

by PerrythePlatypusGirl



Series: Sheith Anthology [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: High School AU, Multi, allura is a bit of a control freak, but everything turns out a-ok, except they're all technically graduated now, gets a little spicy at the end of chapter 2 but nothing happens, i am an american who has google, keith is Eager, limited knowledge of europe, pidge is Nervous, shay is Sad, the continuing adventures of the loser squad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 12:13:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16429184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerrythePlatypusGirl/pseuds/PerrythePlatypusGirl
Summary: The team celebrates their last summer vacation before college by going on an impossible trip around Europe. Relationships are tested and lots of shenanigans happen.





	1. Chapter 1

On a list of ways to spend your last summer before college, a group trip to Europe would be pretty high up. It had been pretty tough to convince everyone's parents that they could handle a trip overseas on their own with no adults other than Hunk's mom, but they'd somehow done it. According to Lance, the argument that had tipped things in his favor with his parents was _"we'll have Allura and Shiro with us."_

Well, that...made some sense, but it seemed that argument was already falling apart on the plane. Allura was busy planning out all the minute little details of the trip, while Shiro was currently distracted by...something else.

Keith had napped on Shiro's shoulder for the majority of the plane ride. His mouth was hanging adorably open like it did when he slept, and he was so cute and warm that Shiro almost couldn't focus on the movie he was watching.

Keith awoke slowly and stretched, rubbing the back of his head and blinking his eyes open. Shiro watched him with a smile. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Keith turned to him, still obviously groggy, and leaned onto his shoulder again. "Hi," he said softly. "Are we almost there?"

"Still got a couple hours to go."

Behind them somewhere, Lance was being very loud as usual, and Keith was finally awake enough to notice. He groaned and clung harder to Shiro's arm, burying his face in his boyfriend's neck.

Shiro chuckled, nuzzling into Keith's hair. "You excited for Rome?"

Keith nodded. "I wanna go to the Colosseum."

"Don't worry, I bet Allura's made some time for that in that color-coded schedule of hers."

He glanced a few seats behind him as he spoke. Sure enough, Allura was bent over several pieces of paper along with her phone, scribbling something down furiously. Beside her, Matt was leaning dejectedly on his hand. When he spotted Shiro, he gave him a thumbs up, not bothering to change his bored expression.

Across the aisle next to Matt sat Pidge, Lance, Hunk, Hunk's mom, and Shay. Lance was engaged in telling some story that apparently had Hunk and Pidge captivated, while Hunk's mom was chatting with Shay.

Shirt sat back in his seat just as Keith started talking again.

"Also I want some authentic Italian food," Keith murmured, still sleepy. "I've always wanted to go to Italy and try some real lasagna."

Shirt grinned. "So you know nothing about Rome except Colosseum and food?"

"Mmmm, no, not really. Didn't they take over the world at some point?"

"I think so. Don't worry, I bet we'll learn all about the history once we get there. It'll be fun."

Keith rolled his eyes affectionately. "I guess if anyone can make learning fun, it's you."  
—-  
The last of the group was grabbing their bags on the belt, while Allura stood next to Hunk's mom proudly.

"Ok, you guys, we're going to call a few cabs outside and get checked into the hotel. Drop off our stuff and then head back out for the tour around the city!"

"Allura, we just got here!" Lance complained. "Can't we rest at the hotel for a few hours before we go around touring?"

"We'll have time to rest later, Lance! But the tour starts in an hour so we can't be late!" She whirled around to leave while the others groaned.

"In that case, we'd better get going!" Hunk's mom said cheerfully. "Allura, dear, I can't wait to see what this tour is that you found."

"Mom, please don't encourage her," Hunk muttered.

The trip to the hotel was fairly uneventful. When they got there, Allura went to check them in while the others unloaded their bags off the cabs. She emerged just as they were finishing, and quickly handed a card key to Shiro.

"Here, keep this somewhere safe," she told him. "We're on the third floor, the girls' room will be right across the hall from you."

Keith looked up at this with a frown. "Wait, just two rooms for all of us?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, there's enough beds for all of you!" Allura turned around, busy as a bee, and headed off again. "Drop off your bags and meet me down here in half an hour!"

Once they were in their room, half the boys decided to flop down on various beds and recliners. Shiro took it on himself to grab all their bags and put them in a corner, then walked over to open the window. Keith dutifully stayed next to him but still had a vaguely annoyed look on his face.

"Man," Matt groaned. "If Allura's going to be like this the whole trip, she won't get a chance to actually relax and enjoy it. And I'll barely be able to spend any time with her."

"Matt, she basically planned this trip herself," Shiro replied. He phone buzzed and he pulled it out to text Allura about what to do next.

"I knoooow, but still," Matt whined. "I'm afraid she's going to stress herself out."

"You should talk to her about it," Keith suggested.

Matt shrugged with nothing more than a tired sigh.

Hunk, meanwhile, wasn't paying attention to any of what they were saying, instead frowning at his own phone.

Lance turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Everything okay there, buddy?"

Hunk snapped out of his trance for a moment and shrugged. "I'm just trying to check on Shay. She's been weirdly quiet since we got off the plane, but she keeps brushing me off when I try to ask." He tossed his phone down on the mattress. "I wish I could go check on her now, but my mom was like—" he pressed his lips together and pitched his voice up in an impression of his own mother— _"Women only in this room, Hunk, don't be indecent!"_

"Uugh," Lance groaned loudly. "See, this would never be a problem if you guys would just accept that we should do co-ed rooms. Gender segregation on field trips is a thing of the past, people!"

Keith rolled his eyes from his spot by the window. "You're still on that, Lance? Drop it already."

"Easy for you to say," Lance snapped. "You actually get to share a room with the person you're dating."

"Perks of being gay," Keith shrugged. "But I also have to share with all of you, so how lucky am I, really?"

"Wow, love you too, asshole."

"Guys, this isn't a joke!" Hunk piped up. "I'm worried about Shay, she never acts like this."

"Just give her some space," Lance replied gently. "She'll talk about it when she's ready."

Hunk made an indignant noise, but still took Lance's advice and pushed his phone away.

"Okay," Shiro suddenly announced, pocketing his own phone. "They're waiting for us in the lobby right now. We should get going."

Everyone groaned and peeled themselves off of where they were currently sitting.  
\---  
The group soon found themselves seated at the top of a crowded tour bus, wind blowing in their hair as they listened to the tour guide. Tired as they were, they had to admit that Allura had chosen an amazing tour. It was way more fun to learn about culture and history this way than from a textbook. Hunk's mom couldn't stop taking pictures.

Allura took a quick selfie of herself and Matt atop the bus, then hurried to post it online as the guide continued talking.

"Do you want to try dining at the Piazza Navona tonight?" Allura whispered to him. "It's expensive, but I heard it's like, the best place to eat and shop and watch performers."

Matt shrugged. "Sure, we could check it out. If not, we could always find a McDonald's somewhere. Those things are everywhere."

Allura roller her eyes. "I didn't come all the way to Rome for McDonald's, Matt. Hang on, let me pull up a list of cafes at the Novana and see if we can compare prices."

"Wait, right now?" Asked Matt. "We're in the middle of the tour, are you even paying attention to it?"

"Wh—yes, I'm paying attention, she just said...um..." Allura frowned. "Did she...mention the Sistine Chapel?"

"We aren't anywhere near the Sistine Chapel." Matt deadpanned. Allura pouted at him, and Matt gently pushed her phone down away from her face. "Hey, take it easy, will you?" Matt asked, squeezing her hand tightly. "Just enjoy where you are, we'll worry about dinner when the time comes."

"I'm don't like going into things without a plan," Allura grumbled. "Especially with a large group like this one."

"...well, tell you what, when we go back to the hotel later, you can plan dinner all you want."

"I guess..."

"Great. This tour is actually pretty fun, okay? Don't miss out on it."

Allura nodded, put her phone away, and finally sat quietly to pay attention.

Meanwhile, Lance was leaning back in his seat and listening to the tour guide talk with a confused expression on his face. "Why are there so many places in this city called _pizza?_ I didn't know Italians were _that_ obsessed with their food."

Pidge looked up at him and blinked twice before understanding. "You mean... _piazza?"_

"Yeah."

"That...doesn't mean pizza, Lance. It just means public square or market in Italian."

Lance blinked. "Oh." He leaned back in his chair and gave Pidge a sidelong grin. "Well, aren't you smart. How'd you know that, Pidgey?"

Pidge blinked. "Lance, _I'm_ Italian."

Lance stared at her for a second before his jaw dropped. "Wait what???? You are? I thought you were American!"

"I'm...both?" Pidge shrugged. "I've only been to Italy a few times before though. To visit our grandparents, and they didn't live near Rome."

"Huh," Lance replied. "Well, in that case, I'm glad to have you around. You can show me all the cool places to go."

"I just said I've never been here. I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Oh, well...we'll be clueless together, right?" He winked at her with a smirk. "And maybe we can get lost together."

Pidge gave him an unamused stare, then turned away to look outside again. "Save the flirting for Paris, Lance."

Lance huffed and went back to his seat. He listened to the tour a little longer. "Hey look, Pidge, we're coming up on another... _piazza._ See, I can be knowledgeable."

"Proud of you, Lance."  
—-  
They visited the Colosseum that evening, much to Keith's delight (he asked Shiro to talk a picture of him with it, and Shiro was more than happy to indulge him), as well as a few other places before eventually deciding they were hungry.

"Okay," Allura announced excitedly. "If you guys are all ready, we can head to Novana and get started on picking out a cafe. If we eat quickly, we can be back at the hotel by nine."

"Ooh, actually," Hunk suddenly piped up. "I was looking at a brochure earlier, and apparently there's this little neighborhood where we can get like, real authentic food for cheaper."

Hunk's mom turned to him excitedly. "Ooh, really? Can I see it, sweetie? Authentic food is always better."

"Uhh, hang on, I took a picture of it," Hunk started shuffling through his phone. "It's a bit out of the way, but apparently the trip is worth it. And it's away from all the crowds."

Keith smirked. "Sounds good to me."

Allura tensed up with a pout. "But...what about Novana? I thought that's what we decided on earlier."

"Can't we change the plan a little?" Shiro asked. "A few extra miles isn't going to kill us."

"Well, we don't know how long it will take," Allura insisted. "We could be late getting back home, then we'll be late going to sleep, and we won't get enough hours for the road tomorrow."

"Allura, Allura, sweetheart," Matt cut in, reaching out to gently grab both her shoulders. "You're on vacation. It's okay. We can loosen up on the schedules a little, okay?"

Allura grumbled. "I hate it when we all decide on a plan and then suddenly decide at the last minute to do something else."

Everyone else had turned their attention to Hunk.

"Well, it sounds cool to me," Lance said with a shrug. "If Hunk the food connoisseur says it's more authentic, then we should go."

"Well, I've never _been_ there before, but yeah, we should try it."

"Everyone else on board?" Shiro asked.

He got nods of agreement from everyone else, except for Allura who stared at the ground.

"Them we should find a bus and get going," Hunk's mom declared. "Someone find a bus route to get us there."

While Pidge volunteered to do that, Hunk's mom put her arms around Hunk and Shay happily. "Great choice, sweetheart," she said to Hunk. "It's impossible to find good food at good prices in places like these. Isn't he so smart, Shay?"

Shay obviously want the biggest fan of this hug, but she smiled and nodded at her. "Mhmm. Yeah, he's the smartest."

Hunk groaned. "Mom, leave her alone. You've been crowding her all day."

"Oh?" Hunk's mom asked. "My apologies. I'll go check on the others."

Hunk's mom left them to go talk to Allura. Shay stayed next to her boyfriend, but she crossed her arms over her chest and sunk in on herself.

"Does it seem like she's...sizing me up?" Shay asked.

"What?" asked Hunk. "My mom? No, no, she's just--eager and nosy, that's all. You know, you're my girlfriend and all, so she's just excited and wants to make you feel like part of the family. Sometimes he just doesn't know how to do that, is all."

Shay nodded slowly.

Hunk watched her with a raised eyebrow. "That's...is that what's been bugging you? If it is, it's okay, you don't have to worry. I promise she likes you, she's just a bit overbearing..."

Shay smiled. "Okay, if you say so, Hunk. Thanks."

She put on a smile and turned toward Pidge when she yelled about finding a bus route. But the tension in her shoulders was still there. Hunk tried not to pry. He didn't want to make Shay more upset than she already was.  
—  
"...okay, I admit this place is nicer than I expected," Allura admitted. She pushed the food around on her plate, reveling in the quaint atmosphere of this outdoor cafe. Even Lance was content to be quiet for a change, just enjoying the moment and the good food. Keith was busy stuffing his face with lasagna, finally satisfying his craving.

"See?" Matt said. "That's what happens when you take a breather and go with the flow. Other people have good ideas sometimes, you know?"

Allura nudged him. "Fine, fine, I get it. But at least give me a heads up a few hours before we go next time, okay? I'm no good at dealing with sudden changes."

Shiro snorted. "Yeah, remember the time you sent the entire student council into a panic attack when the New York trip got cancelled?"

"You don't have to tell everyone about that!"

Everyone laughed.

"Alright Allura, lesson learned," said Hunk. "We'll get your approval in a timely manner from now on."

"Thank you, Hunk."

The others all dissolved into their own chatter, while Allura leaned over to Matt. "I'm not being too overbearing, aren't I?"

Matt shook his head. "What? No, no, you're....organized. You're making the most of our time on this trip. It's what makes you a good leader."

That seemed to do the trick. Allura smiled and kissed Matt on the cheek, then finally went back to her food.

Pidge was holding up a price of her own dinner up thoughtfully. "This stuff is pretty good, but I remember my grandma used to add this garlic rub that basically made it perfect."

"Katie, nothing in the world will ever beat our grandmother's cooking, and that's just something you'll need to accept," said Matt.

"That good, huh?" Lance mused. "Hey Hunk, you should get a recipe from them."

Hunk didn't reply, suddenly distracted by something.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Hunk's mom agreed. "We could make it together, right sweetie?"

Hunk snapped out of his daze. "Oh yeah. Of course, mom."

"You and your mom cook together?" asked Matt. "That's adorable."

Hunk's mom ate the compliment right up and launched right into stories of the things she and Hunk would make together.

On any other day, Hunk would have gotten embarrassed and made her stop, but right now he was too focused on Shay. In the middle of their conversation she'd suddenly slumped into herself again, pushing her food around on her plate with that far off look in her eyes.

After dinner, they all waited at a bus station, chattering away. Hunk took Shay's hand and pulled her aside.

"Hey, listen..." he began. "I know you're probably tired of me bugging you about this, but I'm worried—what's going on?"

Shay blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange ever since we got here," Hunk explained. "I really hope I'm not being pushy by asking, but I want to help. Are you okay? Are you feeling sick? Is someone bugging you?"

Shay hesitated, then sighed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to be obvious about it, I didn't want to ruin everyone's fun..." she ran a hand through her bangs. "It's just...I've never been away from my family like this before. I'm really happy to be with you guys but...I miss them, you know?"

Hunk's eyes widened with understanding. "You're homesick."

Shay nodded. "I'm sorry. I really don't want it ruin the trip. I keep trying to ignore it, but then stuff happens and Pidge talks about her grandma's cooking, and then I think about my Grandma..." she trailed off and shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's kind of pathetic. It's only the first day and I already want to go home."

"Aw, Shay, it's ok," Hunk said gently, taking her into his arms. "That's not pathetic, it's normal to miss your family." He paused. "I guess me having my mom with me isn't helping much, is it?"

"No, don't worry about that," Shay sniffled. "I can't really blame anyone here."

Hunk nodded, then pulled her away to smile at her. "Well, think of it as a learning curve. You'll be more independent—and you'll have a lot of fun stories to tell everyone when you get home!"

Shay considered this for a moment. "I guess so."

"We're only here for a few weeks, and they'll be over before you know it cause we'll be having so much fun. Then you'll see your family again. Until then, you've got me! And our friends."

Shay finally smiled. "That's true."

The bus arrived, and Lance hollered at the to get on. Hunk put an arm around Shay and walked her to the bus, noting with satisfaction that she seemed a lot more relaxed now.

"Thanks, Hunk," she said quietly once they were seated.

Hunk gave her one more tight hug. "Anytime."  
—-  
Rome was noisy at night, but to Keith, it was the right the amount of noisy. In their hotel room, the ambient noise of the city outside was more of a soothing whirr than anything annoying.

Keith finished up in the bathroom and tiptoed back into the main suite. Lance, Hunk and Matt had passed out the second their bodies hit the mattresses. Before long, Shiro had fallen asleep too.

Keith was a little more used to staying up late, but the day had been pretty exhausting. Keith quietly crossed the room so as not to wake anyone else, and gave a silent sigh of relief when he later down on the large bed next to Shiro.

Tentatively, Keith looked over at his boyfriend. Shiro looked so peaceful while sleeping, and it made a soothing warmth spread through Keith's chest. He hesitated for a moment, then moved closer until he was pressed comfortably against Shiro's side. Keith closed his eyes. Shiro was so warm, and the sound of his even breaths was soothing.

Unfortunately, he also had to deal with everyone else's snoring sounds mixed in. It wasn't really a problem per se. He'd shared hotel rooms with Hunk and Lance before. But right now, it was a reminder of the one thing that had been bugging him on this trip.

Everything was perfect so far. He'd done all he wanted to do. Except for one thing, and that was that he wanted to spend some time with Shiro. Alone.

Maybe he could ask Allura about renting out another hotel room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little spicy toward the end of this, but don't get your hopes up lol

After a couple more days in Italy, the crew headed to Germany, breezed through a few tiny countries the size of their hometown each, then finally arrived in their next most anticipated city of all.

"Paris!!" Lance cried joyfully, sticking his head out the train window. "My favorite city in the world!"

"Have you been here before?" asked Pidge.

"No, but I know what it's all about," Lance replied with a wink. Then he turned to the others. "Guys, check it out! I can see the Eiffel Tower from here! Ooh, and we _have_ to walk down the Champs Elysees!"

"I'm glad you're excited, Lance," Allura told him. "This will probably be the biggest part of our trip so far. Before we go to Eastern Europe anyways."

"Just remember," Matt piped up. "Take it easy, and--"

"--go with the flow," Allura finished. "I know, Matt. But I've still got a list of things we _need_ to do, and I'm not leaving until we're done."

"I want to visit the French countryside," Keith piped up. "I hear it's really nice there, and full of culture."

"I want to try some cheese and wine," said Shiro.

"Wine?" Keith raised an eyebrow. "Are you even old enough?"

"I'm eighteen. That's legal in France."

"Lucky bastard, save some for me." There was a mischievous glint in Keith's eyes as he spoke, but Shiro figured it probably meant nothing.

"Oh hey, you know what we can do," Lance spoke suddenly, uncharacteristically quiet and wistful. He turned to Pidge excitedly. "We could go for a boat ride on the Seine! What do you say, Pidge, you and me?"

Pidge blinked. "Wait, just us? O-on a romantic boat ride??"

"Yeah. It'll be, like, our first official date. Please? I've always wanted to do this with someone."

Pidge hesitated. Part of her wanted to suggest doing something more lowkey for their first date (was that a thing?? Were they dating now?? Did it work that way??), but Lance looked so innocently excited and sincere. It was so different to how he usually acted, and he seemed so excited that Pidge didn't have the heart to turn him down. So she just shrugged. "Sure, we can do that."

"Yesss," Lance squeezed Pidge in a one-armed hug. "This is going to be great, you're going to love it." Then his smile turned cocky again, like before. "You did tell me to save the flirting for Paris, hope it was worth the wait."

Pidge just turned away to hide her nerves.

\---

Keith was lying down on one of the beds in their room, staring up at the ceiling thinking about nothing. He supposed he should be exhausted after all they'd done on the trip so far, but he wasn't. In fact, he was ready to go out and explore some more.

Hunk, Lance, and Matt were chattering away while putting their stuff away in the drawers. Shiro appeared next to the bed Keith was laying on and smiled down at him. "Hey."

Keith smiled widely without even thinking. "Hey." He rolled over to the other side of the bed and patted the empty spot next to him. Shiro looked bashful for a second, but obliged and layed down on the bed next to Keith.

"You going to take a nap?" Shiro asked.

"Nah," Keith replied. "I don't think I've had time anyway, Allura's probably gonna call us down any minute."

"Actually, Matt and I convinced her to let us rest for a few hours," Shiro told him. "I don't think even she realized how tired she was until then."

Keith snorted. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Shiro rested his head on his hand and gently stroked Keith's arm. "This trip's been pretty busy," he murmured. "Sorry I haven't been paying much attention to you."

Keith turned toward him, hoisting himself up to get closer and smirked. "Don't worry about it--you're paying attention to me now, aren't you?"

"That's true."

Keith smiled wider and leaned closer to kiss him.

_"Uhhhhh, hello?"_ Lance's voice cut through the air like nails on a chalkboard. "We're right here, you know."

Keith grit his teeth. "Yeah, that's the problem, isn't it," he grumbled under his breath."

Shiro looked up at the other boys apologetically. "Sorry. You guys can just chill, we don't have to go anywhere yet."

Hunk and Lance immediately pulled out their phones. Matt was already falling asleep on his own bed.

Keith rolled his eyes and pulled himself off the bed, nudging Shiro as he stood. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, since we've got extra time. We can go get some fresh air, maybe get you that wine and cheese you wanted."

Shiro grinned widely and eagerly stood up. "Sure thing, let's go."

Minutes later, the two of them were walking hand-in-hand down the bustling Parisian streets. Shiro had gotten his cheese and both had gotten some ice cream. Shiro had a content smile on his face.

They sat on a bench to finish their treats and idly watched people walk by. "Man, what a trip this had been," Shiro commented. "Everything's going by so fast, but it also feels like forever since we left home."

"Yeah, it's nice to finally relax a bit."

Shiro stared ahead and kept musing. "Soon, it'll breeze by, and then we'll all be off to college."

Keith felt a pang in his gut at the thought and quickly took Shiro's hand to draw his full attention. "Don't think about that yet. We're here now, aren't we?"

Shiro nodded and smiled warmly. "Yeah, we are. I know it's been kinda hectic, but.. I'm really glad to be here with you, Keith."

Keith smiled wider at the soft blush coloring Shiro's face and squeezed his hand. "Me too."

He leaned forward and pressed their lips together, drawing a surprised gasp from Shiro before he kissed back tenderly. Keith sighed happily into the kiss and deepened it after a moment. Finally, he was getting some alone time with his boyfriend, and he was hungry for more.

Keith pushed forward more, clutching at Shiro's collar and sliding his tongue into Shiro's mouth. Shiro gasped and moaned quietly, and the sound sent a pleasant shiver through Keith and encouraged him to press forward. He reached up to cradle Shiro's head in his hand, when Shiro suddenly pulled away, flushed and gasping for air.

"O-ok, that's enough, Keith, we're in public..."

Keith pouted, but the sight of Shiro with his flushed face and swollen lips was enough to satisfy him for now. "Sorry," he said. "I guess I got carried away."

Shiro laughed quietly, then started to stand up. "We should probably start heading back."

He got up and reached his hand out to Keith. Keith grinned and instead wrapped an arm around Shiro's waist when they started walking. Shiro smiled wider and put his arm around Keith's shoulders, kissing him on the forehead.

Keith sighed happily, relishing in the remaining time they had before getting back to the hotel. Being with Shiro always made him feel like he was on cloud nine. And that just made him more determined to get even more of that time later.

\---

Pidge was sitting with her knees pulled up tightly against her chest, staring straight ahead as she tried to calm herself down. She'd nonchalantly agreed to go for a romantic boat ride with Lance. And so what? It was just Lance. Why was she suddenly struggling to stay calm and think about literally _anything_ else??

Nearby, Hunk's mom was sleeping soundly, and Allura was just waking up from a well-deserved nap of her own. Shay was in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea. So that gave her exactly...nobody to talk to about her growing anxiety. Part of her wished that Matt was here, but then again Matt still had his protective big brother schtik going on and he probably wasn't the best person to talk to about this.

Shay came back out into the room with a tiny cup of tea in her hand. "Hey Pidge, you okay?"

Pidge flinched slightly. "Uhh, yeah, why do you ask?"

"You seem tense," Shay replied softly. "You want me to make you some tea?"

Pidge bit her lip, thinking about it for a moment. "...is there mint tea?"

"Let me go take a look."

Minutes later, Allura was fully up and on her phone to look at their itinerary. Shay was back and sitting on the foot of her bed, and Pidge was slowly drinking a calming cup of tea. It was quiet, and then Shay spoke up again.

"So...you wanna talk about what's making you so tense?"

Pidge shrugged. "It's....kind of silly."

Shay grinned wider. "Still helps to talk about it. I learned that lesson the hard way."

Pidge hesitated for a moment. "Well, it's just....Lance invited me to go on a boat ride with him."

Allura looked up at this. "Is this the Seine boat ride he told me about?"

"Yeah, probably."

Shay put a hand over her heart. "Aww! That sounds so romantic!"

Pidge gulped. "Yeah, that's the problem--it's so romantic and sappy, and I've never dealt with anything like that before. I've never even been on a _date_ before. I don't even know how to act on a date, much less a dramatic one like this."

Allura and Shay looked at each other.

Pidge sighed and drank more of her tea, embarrassed. "I'm...probably overthinking this, huh?"

"You sure are," Allura replied with a cheeky grin. "You know Lance. He likes to show off, but he's not going to expect anything from you. Don't stress yourself out. Dates are supposed to be fun."

"It's like hanging out with a good friend," Shay supplied. "A best friend, ideally. You guys will be fine."

Pidge nodded, already feeling a bit better. "I guess so. Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Allura replied. She grinned widely and swung her legs over the side of the bed so she could sit up. "But, that being said, if it's a date, we need to figure out what you should wear!"

Pidge's smile disappeared. Allura trotted over to Pidge's suitcase and started to open it up.

"Do we have to?" Pidge whined. "It's just a boat ride."

"Come on, Pidge, have some fun! A date is the perfect time to dress up a little! You brought dresses with you, right?"

Pidge sighed, but put down her cup and got up to help Allura look.

\---

A couple hours later, Pidge and Lance were atop a slow moving boat floating along the Seine, leaning against the rail and taking in the view. Pidge adjusted the hairband on her head, taking in the sights of the beautiful city around them. Next to her, Lance took a deep breath of the cool evening air.

"Oh, man, this is even nicer than I thought it would be," Lance sighed happily. "Thanks for coming with me, Pidge."

"No problem," Pidge said, twirling some her her hair on her finger. "Thanks for inviting me. I've never done anything like this before."

"Yeah me neither, it's been on my bucket list for a while," Lance replied.

Pidge smiled. "A date on the river was on your bucket list? Not, like, the Eiffel Tower or anything?"

"Not just any river, Pidge, it's the _Seine._ It's _the_ most romantic river in _the_ most romantic city."

"Ok, ok, you're a romantic, I get it," Pidge giggled. "Must be a big deal, then. I feel a bit underdressed." She smoothed down the simple green dress she was wearing.

"Nah, you look great," Lance said with a wink. He took another deep breath, then turned to her again. "So, what do you want to do, you wanna trade facts?"

Pidge blinked. "What?"

"I mean, first real date, we should get to know each other better," Lance shrugged. "I didn't even know you were Italian until like, last week."

"True. Well, what do you want to know?"

Lance thought for a moment. "Hmm, favorite food?"

"Peanut butter cookies," Pidge replied instantly. "And peanut butter in general. But not peanuts. They're too dry."

"Garlic knots are my favorite."

"Yeah, I figured with how you were devouring them in Rome."

He gave her a nudge and moved on. "Ok, how about family? Siblings?"

"Just Matt."

"Lucky. I have _four_ older siblings, and they drive me nuts," Lance held up four fingers to illustrate. "Marco, Luis, Veronica, and Rachel. I love them, but they seem to love embarrassing me more."

Pidge giggled. "So we're both the babies in our families?"

Lance nodded. "It's great, you get to be the prankster. I think we're the youngest in our friend group too. Does that make this puppy love?"

"Love?" Pidge blushed. "You sure move fast, don't you?"

Lance looked surprised, then hurt. He stared down at Pidge with a pitiful frown on his face, and Pidge felt her heart sink. Had she said something wrong?

"I-I mean--" Pidge stammered. "Th-this is the first date, right? Nothing against _you,_ it's just--"

Lance grinned at Pidge's flailing and gave her another nudge. "I'm just messing with you, Pidge. Let's just keep this fun."

Pidge huffed. "Don't _do_ that," she complained. "I've never been on a date before, I keep worrying about what I could mess up."

Lance's eyes widened. "This is your _first date?"_ He looked around the boat and their location, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "Damn. Well, what do you think? I'm setting the bar pretty high, aren't I?"

Pidge rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Sky high. I'm swooning right now. Let's go back to that fact game."

"Fine, fine. Favorite movie?"

"Star Wars. Specifically _Empire."_

"Yeah? I thought _Phantom Menace_ was better."

Pidge's jaw dropped in utter shock and betrayal.

Lance burst out laughing. "Oh my God Pidge, your _face."_ He stopped to catch his breath. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I just wanted to see your reaction."

Pidge placed a hand over her heart in relief. "Oh, phew, you scared me. That could have been a dealbreaker."

Lance wiped a tear from his eye. "Aw man, that face was adorable. Nah, I've never actually seen a Star Wars movie. My favorite movie is _The Notebook."_

"Really?"

"I'm a romantic, remember?"

Pidge giggled. "Well, there is romance in Star Wars, if you're interested. Between the badass rebel princess and the charming scoundrel."

Lance smirked. "Hey, that kinda sounds like us."

Pidge felt herself turn red. "I....guess, kinda."

For a moment they didn't speak, instead choosing to lean on the railing and stare out at the city in comfortable silence. Pidge hoped her goofy smile wasn't too obvious right now.

"...you know," she spoke up again. "You're a lot easier to talk to that I first thought you'd be."

"You think so?" asked Lance. "Does that mean we're compatible?"

"I don't know. Does it?"

"In my experience, it's usually a good sign."

Pidge just shyly turned away, smiling wider.

\---

The rest of their boat ride, as well as the walk back to the hotel, was more of the same. More talking, laughing, teasing, enjoying the early evening stars and each other's company.

Lance phone buzzed at some point, and he rolled his eyes at the text. "Looks like they're getting ready to get back on track," he told Pidge. "Guess we should stop meandering and head back."

Pidge pouted. "Is it over already?"

"Don't worry, Pidgey, you can sit next to me at dinner."

They arrived in front of their rooms, where they could hear everyone noisily getting ready. Lance bit his lip.

"Looks like this is our last moment together for a while. Guess this is the part where I kiss you goodbye for now."

Pidge blushed again, looking down.

Lance grinned. "Let me guess, first kiss?"

Pidge nodded.

"Then I guess I'll have to make it special, huh?"

"You just don't stop flirting, do you?"

"It's in my blood." Lance shrugged. "I mean, unless you don't _want_ to kiss me, then--"

"I-I didn't say that."

Lance paused, scanning her face to try and guess what she was thinking. Then he started leaning forward. Pidge felt herself start to lean as well, eyes fluttering closed, heart pounding in her ears. 

Lance cupped her face in his hand and pulled her face up toward him, holding her in place as he kissed her gently. It was short, sweet, and probably the most amazing thing that Pidge had ever experienced.

Lance pulled away and smiled down at her face, which was probably red again. "Satisfied?"

"Shut up," she giggled. Pidge backed toward the girls' hotel room, knocking on the door without looking away from him. "I-it was...really nice. Thanks, Lance. I had a great time. I hope you don't mind if our next date would probably be more downplayed."

Lance's smile grew at the words "next date," and he tried to shrug nonchalantly. "As long as it's with you, I don't mind. See you at dinner?"

Pidge nodded happily. "Yeah, see you lat--ahh!"

Before she could finish, the door opened and Allura yanked her inside.

\---

Dinner passed by pleasantly enough. Between Pidge and Lance feeding each other and giggling like a pair of kids, and Hunk's mom sharing several embarrassing stories, it seemed like everyone was having a good time. Shiro was quietly munching on his food, content to watch everyone until Keith got back.

Keith had pulled Allura aside and was talking about something with her. Allura seemed rather annoyed with whatever was going on, but she rolled her eyes and handed Keith a card, to which Keith looked like he was giving her an ecstatic thanks. Shiro raised an eyebrow. That looked like one of the card keys to their hotel rooms. Weird.

The two of them made their way over. Allura took her spot next to Matt and waved off whatever her previous conversation was about. Keith, on the other hand, approached Shiro with the biggest smile on his face and plopped down.

His joy was infectious, and Shiro found himself smiling right back. "Hey," he said. "What are you so happy about?"

"Ah, nothing," Keith replied, still smiling. "I'll tell you when we get back."

"Did Allura just give you her card key or something?"

Keith blinked, but quickly shook his head. "No no, it's not hers, it's..." he paused, then leaned close to Shiro and lowered his voice. "It's for a surprise I've been planning for you," he whispered, his smile turning mischievous. "You see."

Keith's tone sent a chill down Shiro's spine. He wanted to ask more, but Keith was already stuffing his face and it was clear he wasn't going to say anything. Shiro pouted, and went back to his dinner, trying not to worry himself.

When they got back to the hotel, Shiro was about to head into their room, when Keith suddenly grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.

"Wh--Keith, where are you going?"

Keith's sly smile was back, excitement in his eyes. "The surprise."

Shiro followed him, confused, until Keith stopped in front of another room and pulled out the key card. Shiro's jaw dropped. "Keith, did you--?"

"I convinced Allura to let us rent an extra room for a night," Keith finished excitedly. He slid the card in, opening the door when the light turned green and pulling Shiro in behind him. "We've finally got a room for ourselves. Come on."

Shiro's mouth just hung open as he was dragged in. He was still trying to process how to feel about this, and Keith was already full speed ahead. He shut the door, tossed the card key aside, and advanced toward Shiro until he was pressed up against him, hands resting on Shiro's chest.

Shiro could feel himself blushing deep red. "U-uh...wow, Keith, I--when did you do this?"

Keith snorted, softly rubbing Shiro's chest and shoulders. "Well, it took me all afternoon. Allura wasn't really happy that I was asking her to cough up money for another room, but I managed to convince her." He glanced up flirtatiously at Shiro, somehow making himself look more adorable than usual. "It was worth it, though."

Shiro was starting to get a bit woozy. "Y-yeah. I guess it would be nice to not have...prying eyes..."

Keith chuckled and pulled him down into a deep, slow kiss. Shiro immediately forgot about everything else. His head with swimming, both from being tired after a long day, and from being spellbound by Keith's touch. All he could think about was the feeling of Keith's mouth on his.

He didn't notice that Keith was pushing him backwards until his knees collided with the side of the bed. Next thing he knew he was sprawled out on the mattress, Keith hovering over him with that same coy grin. Shiro's face started burning again, his heart pounding in his ears.

Shiro huffed out a laugh, gently pushed Keith away and adjusted himself so he could lean against the pillows. "I-I guess we haven't really gotten many chances to be alone on this trip," he said. "Didn't realize you missed me that much."

Keith plopped down next to him and rested a hand on Shiro's knee. "Do you like your surprise?" He asked cheekily.

"Yeah," Shiro replies, smiling widely at him. "But you could have at least let me stop by the other room and grab some lighter clothes to sleep in."

Keith's grin slowly grew again, in a way that made Shiro's head spin once more. His hand slid from Shiro's knee to his thigh, and he leaned close. "You don't need them."

Before Shiro could figure out what he meant, Keith was kissing him again. Shiro was helpless to resist. It was so easy to get lost with Keith, to melt at any kind of touch—and man, Keith was really going for it right now.

Shiro pulled away slightly. "What is it that you want, Keith?"

Keith didn't break eye contact. "You."

Shiro's heart started racing again.

Keith suddenly looked a little shy, but didn't move away. "Shiro, I...know we haven't been together for that long, but you've become so important to me, more than I've ever imagined. You're my rock. You keep me stable, you make me happy. I love you."

"I-I love you too, Keith."

Keith's expression softened. He pressed their foreheads together, stealing a couple more kisses along the way. The kisses started getting a bit more intense, and Keith swung his leg over to straddle him. Shiro was suddenly breathless.

"I wanted so badly to get a room without without everyone else getting in the way," Keith continued, voice low. "Everything is perfect now. We're in Paris. I'm with you, and I want..." he paused to take a breath. "I want to go further with you. I want to _show_ you how much I love you. I want to make love."

Shiro throat was dry. "K-Keith..."

Keith moved closer again, rolling his hips and sending a shiver through Shiro's body. He pressed his lips against the crook of Shiro's neck, lowering his voice even more. "What do you say?"

"I..."

Shiro inhaled a shuddering breath as Keith pressed more kisses to his neck. His mind was still spinning, trying to get his thoughts in order. He'd never thought about _this_ before—well, he had, but he's never thought it would come so soon. Then again, Keith had more experience than him with relationships, and to him, they were probably taking it slow. Shiro couldn't disappoint him...right?

"Y-yeah..."

Keith smiled against his skin, and pushed Shiro further down into the mattress. He sat up for a moment and took off his shirt, and Shiro didn't get the chance to react before Keith came back down for another deep, slow kiss.

His heart was still pounding hard. He was getting dizzy. Keith was starting to reach under Shiro's shirt and was still rolling their bodies together rhythmically. Shiro felt all of it, and none of it. It was so much all at once. This should be all he wanted from the boy he'd been in love with for so long, but everything felt like it was happening so fast. The feeling of Keith so close and intimate, the desperate kisses, the heat of the room, the fact that it felt like he could barely _breathe—_

"W-wait, _stop—."_

Keith didn't hear him. His hand left Shiro's chest and started traveling downward.

"Keith, stop."

Keith froze. Shiro inhaled a deep breath and started pushing Keith off of him.

"Shiro, what's wrong—."

"I-I'm sorry, I-I-I just—I'll be right back."

It was too hot. He needed some cold water or—or _something._

Shiro stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and took a moment to catch his breath. The dizzy feeling from earlier started fading, and was now replaced by absolute mortification.

...well, _fuck._ He'd messed that up spectacularly, hadn't he? What the hell was wrong with him, why would he be afraid of this? Especially with someone he cared so deeply for.

Shiro leaned back against the wooden door. He should probably apologize for that embarrassment, but he didn't want to face Keith after letting him down. On the other hand, the idea of Keith trying to pull him back into bed didn't sound too appealing either.

Shiro covered his face with his hands. He was actually hiding from his boyfriend. His patheticness truly knew no bounds, didn't it?

In the end Shiro ended up taking a quick shower then and there to clear his head.

It was definitely still embarrassing, he decided, but not the end of the world. Keith had jumped the gun a little, but he'd understand if Shiro was hesitant, right? He wouldn't be mad at him, right??

Shiro dried himself off and pulled on the same clothes he'd been wearing before. He took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to apologize to Keith for running out on him like that.

But when he opened the door, he froze. Keith was still seated on the bed shirtless, slumped over and...had he been crying? Shiro's jaw dropped.

The second Keith saw him, he bolted up to him, pausing only a few steps in front of him with the most heartbroken expression of guilt Shiro had ever seen. It felt like an arrow to the heart.

"Shiro, are you okay??"

Shiro was taken aback by his tone, but he reached out to pat Keith's arms reassuringly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?? You looked like you wanted to get away from me, I--Shiro, I'm so sorry, I should have realized you weren't comfortable, I didn't mean overstep like that, I wasn't--I thought that--"

Shiro placed both of hands on Keith's shoulders to try and calm him down. "Hey, Keith, it's okay! I promise it's okay. I probably could have handled that better myself--panicking and running off like that probably wasn't the best idea..." he paused. "Did you just sit there waiting for me the whole time?"

Keith nodded. "I didn't want to go after you after that, I--I thought you wouldn't want to see me."

Shiro bit his lip.

"This is my fault, I--shouldn't have just sprung it on you like that. I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to do anything for me, I--" he sniffed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Shiro couldn't help but smile and pull Keith into a hug. "Yes, I'm sure, Keith, I promise. You didn't scar me for life or anything like that."

Keith finally relaxed in Shiro's arms and hugged him back. "Oh, good. I-if I'd--If I'd hurt you, I would have never forgiven myself."

"You could never hurt me."

"Shiro, did you only say yes to make me happy?"

Shiro hesitated. "I just thought...since you went through all that trouble to get the room..."

"Oh, Shiro, you don't owe me anything, you know that," Keith replied, hugging him tighter. "I just wanted us to be together."

Shiro smiled. "Well, we _are_ together right now, aren't we?"

Keith finally pulled away, a relieved smile on his face. "I guess we are." He paused. "I guess we should get some sleep, then. You're okay with cuddling, right?"

Shiro grinned wider. "I'm always up for cuddling. Just let me go grab something more comfortable to sleep in."

Keith laughed sheepishly and let him go.

\---

Lance squinted at both Shiro and Keith as they joined everyone for breakfast the next morning. Shiro was already up and rolling, asking everyone what they were planning to do that day, while Keith clung onto him like a leech, the way he always did in the mornings. The smiles they gave each other were gooier than usual, and this did not go unnoticed.

Lance leaned over to Allura, who was sipping coffee next to him.

"Those two didn't sleep in our room last night," Lance whispered.

Allura rolled her eyes. "Please just leave it alone, Lance. I want to enjoy the rest of this trip in peace."


End file.
